Why panchayat polls in J&K might not happen anytime soon

For the past two years, the local bodies in Jammu & Kashmir have been without any elected officials, as their terms concluded on January 9, 2024. The Union Territory's Panchayati Raj institutions, including Block Development Councils, Municipalities, and District Development Councils, expired during this period. With the conversion of J&K into a Union Territory, the rules regarding reservation for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in these grassroots institutions now apply.

To hold elections, the government is required to make a decision on the OBC reservation, which must be in proportion to the population in every Panchayat. However, the government has yet to take a decision on this matter. A three-member OBC Commission submitted its report in February, but the Cabinet has not yet taken a call on it.

Without the OBC reservation, elections to these rural local bodies cannot be held, as per the Panchayati Raj Act. The State Election Commission has informed the government of the necessary preparations, but the government has not communicated a specific date for the elections. The elections would ideally take place before the harsh winter months, allowing the SEC at least one-and-a-half to two months for the preparations.

However, municipal elections cannot be held even if the government decides on the OBC reservation issue, as their elections are based on electoral rolls of legislative assembly constituutions, which have not been updated in the Union Territory.